AV residents speak out against new Wal-Mart

APPLE VALLEY • The Town Council unanimously approved a ballot measure for a new Wal-Mart Supercenter, but not before it heard a wave of opposition during Tuesday night's meeting.

Several residents shared fears that the Supercenter would force the closing of the nearby Albertsons grocery store located on Highway 18, in the same shopping center with the existing Wal-Mart, which will close if the Supercenter is built.

Former mayor Bob Sagona asked the council by letter to vote no on the ballot measure, and suggested the Supercenter not be built at the corner of Dale Evans Parkway and Thunderbird Road, but in the "northeast quadrant" of the town "where there hasn't been a grocery store since Safeway closed two decades ago."

But the consensus of the entire counsel was to allow the citizens of Apple Valley to decide the fate of the Supercenter by voting during the special "stand-alone" election on Nov. 19.

"The superstore is in serious danger of big boxes becoming empty; we already lost Ralphs and Lowes," Sagona said by phone Wednesday.

One resident at the meeting said building the Supercenter there would devalue Civic Park.

Mayor Curt Emick said the town clerk received 10 additional public comment cards in opposition of the Wal-Mart project, but they chose not to address the council.

Wal-Mart asked the town for a ballot measure after submitting nearly 9,000 signatures from residents who want the retail giant to build a Supercenter in town.

But some residents believe a few signatures gatherers may have misled some.

"I was asked two different times at two different locations in Apple Valley to sign a petition that would allow us to vote no on the building of Wal-Mart," Jacquie Mason wrote. "I didn't sign it because I knew what the real reason of the petition was."

The Elections Office of the San Bernardino County Registrar of Voters has verified a raw count of 8,871 with 5,546 found to be valid, which exceeds the 5,355 required to qualify for the ballot.

Aaron Rios, director of public affairs and government relations for Wal-Mart, said his company wants residents to "decide where they want to shop and work."

Wal-Mart withdrew its application two weeks after Creed-21, represented by Upland and San Diego-based attorney Cory J. Briggs, appealed the town's approval of the permits in January 2011. Wal-Mart then circulated a ballot initiative and collected the signatures.

"Where is this town going?" Sagona asked. "We're looking at a ghost town with one Wal-Mart if we're not careful."

Rene De La Cruz may be reached at 760-951-6227 or at RDeLaCruz@VVDailyPress.com.

Get complete stories every day with the "exactly as printed" Daily Press E-edition, only $5 per month! Click here to try it free for 7 days. To subscribe to the Daily Press in print or online, call (760) 241-7755, 1-800-553-2006 or click here.